


The Fire Inside

by v3ryvelvet



Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Mildly Dubious Consent, Non-Linear Narrative, Power Dynamics, Secret Relationship, Smut, Toxic Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:02:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24304840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v3ryvelvet/pseuds/v3ryvelvet
Summary: Junior Deputy Maggie Sloane thought moving back to Hope County was her fresh start, her chance to find happiness. She just didn’t expect to find that happiness with the figurehead of a Cult hellbent on taking over the place she once called home.
Relationships: Deputy | Judge/John Seed, Female Deputy | Judge/John Seed
Comments: 17
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And so a new fandom has come into my life and I am head over heels. I couldn't help but create my own female deputy for our favourite Baptist!
> 
> I've taken a non-linear approach to this fic and I'm excited to share with you all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes : accidental voyeurism  
> Set before the Arrest

Maggie Sloane is not a fan of heat, with her red hair and milky complexion, a Montana heatwave is as big a problem as the followers of Eden’s Gate. Both leave her exhausted and irritated, at least with the growing problem of peggies she’s able to keep them in line with the County’s police force or even, on rare occasions, the threat of the ivory magnum holstered to her thigh but unfortunately there is very little Maggie can do about the beating sun above her. 

The windows are rolled down of her car, her usual deputy shirt long forgotten and thrown into the back of the truck in an attempt to cool her sticky skin. 

The valley has been surprisingly quiet that day, Maggie following her usual patrol from Falls End up to Orville Creek. Along the way she had come across resistance members and the public alike, all too content with the roasting sun. Unlike Maggie, they continued to farm and hunt, continued to patrol without so much as breaking a sweat while she, on the other hand, hung her head from the window like a damn dog to try to cool down. 

Not long past noon and with the sun at its highest point in the sky, Maggie pulls at the radio on the dashboard while parking by the creek’s edge. 

“Sloane to dispatch, I’m just taking my lunch. All quiet today, not a peggie in sight. I’m stopped by the old Wellington house, will head back to Fall’s End shortly.” 

“No problem Deputy, enjoy the sun while you can!”

Twisting her lips into a frown she mutters under her breath, “not likely,” and grabs her flask of water, gulping greedily until she’s gasping for breath and wiping her brow. 

Stepping from the car Maggie can appreciate Holland Valley; its beautiful skyline with picturesque views and rolling hills with rivers that stretch for days. She smiles when the waterfall sprays cooling drops of water to her skin as she makes her way across the bridge and into the shade. 

Carrying herself through the recently abandoned property and satisfied no one uses the old cabin Maggie makes her way back to the car. It’s not until the waterfall gives her another relief of cold water that an idea pops into her head. Peering over the bridge she watches the water rushing from the mountains and down the creek, heading right into the valley. Surrounded by stone, the creek could give her the perfect opportunity to cool down even if it would only be for half an hour. 

Decision made she moves down the path, clambering across stone and rock until she reaches the bottom. It isn’t as peaceful as she may have hoped, the crashing of the waterfall against the water's surface and surrounding stone making her flinch. She wasn’t the first to have had this grand idea, empty bottles of beer lay nearby and even a forgotten backpack but for now, it’s just Maggie and while she can, she is going to take advantage of the situation. 

Her weapon is first to go, the handgun being laid down on a dry patch of stone while her vest soon follows almost painfully sticking to her skin as she pulls it from over her head. By the time she has her boots kicked off and jeans peeled from her legs, Maggie is almost considering dunking her whole body in the creek. Even now, undressed and only left in her underwear she feels miles more comfortable. With one last look around her, she unclasps her bra and rolls her underwear down her legs, edging herself down to sit on the stone beneath her before finally dropping herself into the water. 

On any other day, she probably would have shrieked at the water’s temperature but right then she can only let her neck roll back and a satisfied sigh escapes from her lips. 

Kicking her legs back and forth her mind drifts, she thinks of what the rest of her day has in store and if it would be as quiet as her morning. She briefly wonders about the county, if the day’s peace is a sign of a positive future. 

Her mind even wanders to John Seed. 

For weeks she hasn’t been able to put her finger on it, to why she keeps allowing him to enter her thoughts. He isn't well-liked in the county. More money than sense is what people say about John, that he's nothing but a bully and yet...

With a sigh she brings her hand to face, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. She should be thinking of the people who are being pressured out of their homes and their livelihoods but somehow John Seed, so-called Baptist of Eden’s Gate, occupies her mind in ways he definitely shouldn’t. 

Their radio calls have become more and more frequent. Maggie more often than not finds herself looking forward to his messages, imagines herself bumping into him while out on patrol and being alone with him and- 

She skims her fingers across the water’s surface distracting herself from the thoughts her mind tries to conjure. With another sigh she tries to enjoy the moment of peace, wiggling her toes in the water and leaning back into the stone, for once letting herself enjoy the heat of the sun on her skin. 

“Deputy Sloane, isn’t this a delightful sight to behold!” 

If there was ever a moment Maggie thought her soul could physically leave her body, this was it. The shriek she had held in earlier now echoes across the valley. Her body scrambles in the water, small waves of water crashing around her while her hands move to cover her breasts. 

“Jesus Christ, John?! What the-“ Maggie cries out again, mortified that the so called Baptist of Eden’s Gate has somehow stumbled across her skinny dipping. Turning her back to him she closes her eyes only to open them again, looking to the sky in disbelief. 

“What are you doing here?!” She continues with exasperation.

From behind her, she hears his laugh, that same cocky voice that has teased her over the radio the last few months. 

“What am I doing? Deputy, what are you doing skinny dipping?” 

Huffing in disbelief, Maggie wobbles on her tiptoes in the creek water while cradling her arms to cover her chest. 

“It’s a heatwave John! I am not cut out for this type of weather!” Huffing again Maggie looks over her shoulder finding John dressed in his usual attire, leaning against the stone with a smirk that makes her thighs tremble in the water. She scowls in return before turning her head to look back out over the valley, 

“What are you doing here, John?” She tries again with an exhausted sigh. 

His chuckle can be heard over the continuous roar of the waterfall, only making the Deputy cringe harder. 

“Well, I was out on a drive, you know, people to see and things to do when I hear you calling in for a lunch break! Who was I to ignore that when I was just at the bottom of the creek myself?” 

“How thoughtful,” she deadpans back to him. 

“I thought I could see you and have a chat but Deputy, I didn’t expect to see so much of you!” 

Just minutes ago she had been wondering at the valley’s beauty but now, with John’s hard gaze watching her body through the creek’s crystal clear waters Maggie curses that beauty along with John. 

“It is quite warm, you’re not wrong Deputy. Maybe I could come and join you?” 

Snapping her neck around she narrows her eyes at him, “don’t you dare.” 

His laugh and his grin is too much. Even with her in the cool water, the playful look in his eyes has lines of heat licking up her spine. The small voice at the back of her head rearing its ugly head and chirping its approval at the idea of seeing John stripping down.

“I should go,” Maggie speaks, still casting her eyes over the valley’s skyline. “You need to...go...so I can get dressed.”

“So soon?” He teases. Even with her back still turned to him she can imagine the grin on his lips; she shudders again. When she doesn’t reply straight away Maggie hears his boots against the stones, moving closer towards her, “let me help, Deputy.” 

Peering over her shoulder she sees his hand extended, the cocksure grin wiped from his face and instead replaced with a comforting smile. 

“I promise I’ll shut my eyes, Deputy. I am still a gentleman after all.”

With that, his eyes close and his hand remains extended for her to take. 

Maggie has never touched John. That’s the only thing running through her mind when she wades closer to the stone edge. They’ve spoken plenty over the radio and have been face to face on many occasions but they have never touched. She looks at the tattoos on his hands and along his fingers, wondering briefly if they had hurt and how long they had been on his skin for. 

Tentatively she continues to move across the water, releasing her arms from her chest until she is at the edge, her hand slowly reaching to curl into John’s waiting palm. When his hand tightens around hers she momentarily panics, he could put a bullet between her eyes right now and send her body down the creek and no one would be none the wiser. The moment of hesitation, however, slips by, his eyes still shut and his hand still holding hers. With another sigh, still not quite believing the situation she has found herself in, Maggie steps up to the stone edge with John instinctively moving back and helping her up onto the ledge. 

“Okay,” she breathes already trying to forget how warm his hand feels, “you just turn yourself around there Mr Seed and I’ll get dressed and we’ll never speak of this again. Alright?”

His hand drops from hers but he still chuckles, turning on his heel to face the waterfall. 

“Do you have a towel, Deputy?”

Grabbing her vest Maggie begins to pat down her thighs and chest, eyes looking up every so often to ensure John isn’t breaking his word.

“Believe it or not but this was not a planned activity so, no, I do not have a towel,” she replies through clenched teeth.

With a wince she pulls her underwear on, the material straining against her damp legs uncomfortably. 

“Well, I have a suggestion,” John begins, taking a step backwards. “Turn yourself around and look at the valley, I’m gonna have to open my eyes Dep, but just for a second-“

“Are you mad? I don’t think so-“

“Trust me, Sloane, I haven’t gone against my word-“

“-Yet,” she interrupts with a frown.

“Just turn around already,” he huffs, the playful tone of his voice simmering into something a little more forceful that has Maggie immediately following his instruction and turning away from him.

Realising her quick submission to the Baptist Maggie opens her mouth to chastise him only stopping when she feels him behind her, all breath escaping her lungs when the heavy material of his coat is draped over her shoulders.

“Don’t want the sweetest Deputy in the valley getting sick now, do I?” His hands lay firm against her shoulders holding the coat in place while his breath tickles the back of her neck. 

“No...John,” she looks at the coat, feeling that same warmth from before that isn’t from the expensive material. “It’s okay I don’t want to ruin your coat,” she breathes, slowly turning her head to look at him. Up close like this, she realises just how much taller he is than she is. She can smell his cologne with undoubtedly the mix of freshly cut grass and charcoal flames. 

His lips turn into a smile at this while those entrancing blue eyes study her face. When his fingers move from the coat to the damp, curled ends of her hair Maggie feels herself inhale while continuing to watch his soft gaze. 

What possesses her to move she doesn’t know but before she can stop it, Maggie begins to turn on her heel to face John. The lapels of his coat only just covering her breasts, the distinctive and feminine curves seen from beneath the fabric. On any other occasion, she would be worried about the many bruises that are scattered across her skin, maybe the paleness of her complexion but then, with John still smiling and his hand moving wisps of red hair out of her face she finds she doesn’t feel quite so self-conscious anymore. 

Her resolve begins to crumble, his blue eyes sparkling in silent delight while he moves his hands to lapels of his coat and then, with his fingers just brushing the sensitive skin of her chest he pulls the coat together, covering her entirely.

“Get dressed Deputy.”

With a final and lingering smile John pulls away, climbing the rockery and up to the car park.

\- - -

With the shock of the last ten minutes events finally worked from her system Maggie ties the laces on her boots and begins to move her way up to her truck. The afternoon heat is still sweltering, her little escaped in the creek water almost completely pointless if the sweat on her brow is anything to go by. 

Once she has re-holstered her weapon and has the image of John’s tattooed hand grazing her chest pushed to the back of her head Maggie looks across the valley and down to John’s coat that lays neatly on the dry rocks. 

He is where she expects him to be, leaning against her truck with sunglasses covering his eyes. 

“Ah, there she is,” he calls out as Maggie begins her walk across the lot. “How I remember the Deputy, with clothes on. You know,” John continues pushing the sunglasses up to rest in his hair, “I almost didn’t recognise you!” 

“Please stop,” she mutters, passing him his coat before fishing her keys from her pocket. “If anyone hears about this, I will burn that godforsaken ‘yes’ sign to the ground, we clear?” 

She shouldn’t let her lips turn into a smile when he laughs, his hand pointing to his chest in mock innocence.

“It’ll be our little secret Deputy, don’t you worry.” 

Before she can bite back the radio in her car crackles,

“Deputy, you there? We got some trouble down near Falls End, Mary sayin’ damn peggies stole her daddy’s truck!”

Leaning into her truck Maggie grabs her radio, “this is Sloane, I’m on my way now.”

By the time she is sitting in her seat with the engine on John leans into the car, still grinning smugly at her.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with you now, would it John?” She looks at him, moving to adjust her mirrors and grab the deputy shirt that still sits on the back seat of the car. 

She knew it was stupid to ask, he wasn’t about to tell her anything, even if he had just seen her half-naked. 

“Better get going, sounds like you're missing a whole lot of bother.” He moves back from the car and closer to his own, his eyes still watching her as he calls across the lot, “drive safe, Deputy.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you all so much for the warm welcome to my FC fic, it's been so encouraging. I will apologise for my delay in posting, I've not been in a great headspace these last few months so I've not been forcing myself to write. I do have some other chapters wrote up though so hopefully not a huge wait until my next update :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter notes : alcohol use.   
> Set before the Arrest  
> Just a short intro for these two <3

“Sharky.”

Maggie walks into the Spread Eagle, her hands already moving to pinch the bridge of her nose. She cracks her teeth around the raspberry jolly rancher in her mouth, frustrated by yet another call thanks to Sharky Boshaw. Pratt walks in behind her and slaps a hand to her back,

“You’ll get used to it Rookie,” he grins as Maggie approaches a very drunk Sharky.

“Every weekend?” She retorts, poking Sharky in the side of his ribs. He is spread across the bar, a beer bottle or three scattered the floor under the bar stool. It was a similar scene last weekend when Mary called the station for some assistance in getting Sharky home.

The Spread Eagle has mostly cleared for the night. A few stragglers finishing their drinks while rubbernecking on the police presence now in the bar. Still crunching the last of her candy Maggie regards the drunk in front of her, frowning. 

From behind the bar, Mary cleans a glass while shaking her head in mock disapproval. 

“You’d make a killin’ Mary if you opened a hotel upstairs,” the junior Deputy mutters, still trying to wake Sharky. Mary snorts her response while throwing the cloth over her shoulder. 

“And clean up after Sharky? I ain’t his momma-”

“What you saying about my momma?”

Sharky lifts his head, a scene similar to that of a newborn baby trying to lift its head. His moment of clarity seeps away, head drooping back to the bar and a snore soon following. 

“Alright Sharky,” Maggie sighs, pulling his arm over her shoulder while Pratt moves to the other side to help. “You ever thought about banning this drunk?” She asks through a heave only to be met with a laugh from Mary.

“You kiddin’ me Dep? He’s one of my best customers!”

Pratt laughs with her and Maggie really should frown, lecture the barmaid for wasting police time like they’re some babysitting service but honestly...it’s the first callout they’ve had all night. She shakes her head, a smile creeping across her lips while they move Sharky out of the bar and towards the patrol car. Mary, along with some other patrons, call their goodnight to the deputies and soon Sharky lays across the back of the patrol car, snoring and muttering something about vampires. 

Ready to question the drunk about his ramblings, Maggie moves to enter the patrol car, only stopping when an unfamiliar truck pulls up in front of the Spread Eagle. She hears Pratt curse under his breath, slamming the door shut and walking towards the occupant of the car. 

“You better keep driving there, Mr Seed,” Pratt calls out with his hand twitching for the holstered handgun on his hip. Frowning Maggie shuts her door and moves towards her colleague. “Mary has told you, she ain’t got no interest in selling this bar to you!”

Maggie has only been back in the county a couple of weeks, she thought she had met everyone possible there was to meet in such a small place but the stranger emerging from the truck proves her wrong. 

“Now now, Deputy Pratt,” the drawl of the stranger’s voice carries across to Maggie, perking her curiosity. She walks cautiously towards them, hyper-aware of Pratt’s hand inching closer to his weapon. “I am well within my right to get a beverage on this cool, summer evening am I not?” 

“Then we can book you for drinkin’ and drivin’.”

Maggie takes another step forward as Pratt threatens the man. He laughs and for the first time in Sloane’s time in Hope County’s police force, she feels a nervous swoop in the pit of her stomach. She comes into his eye-line as he laughs, the sound dying into the quiet night.

“You got a friend there Pratt? Who might you be, little lady?” 

Maggie scowls, the name bitter as it rings in her ears. 

“Deputy Sloane, and who might you be, sir?” Next to Pratt, she feels his body stiffen. She hasn’t seen her colleague this uptight since she started, she had been almost ready to accept nothing ever bothered the other deputy but the stone-faced expression and twitching hand tells her otherwise. 

“I am a little offended, Deputy Pratt,” the man looks towards Pratt, “you haven’t told our newest recruit about our cause?” Looking back towards Maggie, the man’s lips curl into a grin that she is sure has tricked many, many people. He waits, as if it’s enough to spur her into realising who he is or what’s happening but instead Maggie rolls on the heels of her boots and shrugs. 

His eyes narrow slightly before the mesmerising smile stretches across his features,

“I’m John Seed, a pleasure to meet you.”

He outstretches his hand to Maggie. In the dim light of the Spread Eagle she notices the dark ink of tattoos that cover his hands and knuckles. Well-manicured nails and skin that looks as soft as hers and yet she somehow resists the urge to accept his handshake and instead nods. 

It’s then Maggie briefly worries if the jolly rancher from before has left a less than attractive blue hue to her tongue and teeth. 

“Well, Mr Seed,” Maggie pushes, trying her best to discreetly run her tongue along her teeth, “Mary is just closing up for the night so I suggest you get movin’.” She takes another step forward, now in front of Pratt with her head held high. He smiles brightly again and it’s there that she decides in the back of her head that this man could do some devastating damage with a face that handsome. He lifts his hands back in defence, 

“Of course Deputy, I hope I haven’t caused you any trouble?” John replies walking back towards the door of his truck. If it weren’t for the gleam in his eyes Maggie would think he almost sounded concerned. 

“No trouble Mr Seed, you have a nice evening,” she answers, shining a smile towards him.

“I will, and don’t worry Deputy,” he looks over his shoulder and offers her one last smile, “you’ll be seeing a lot more of me.” 

She and Pratt watch as he enters his truck, something unsettling her as John speeds out of Falls End with that charming smile still plastered to his face. 

“Who the hell was that?” she asks, opening the door to the cruiser. 

“A walking nightmare,” Pratt grumbles in response. “Didn’t Earl tell you about the Seeds? The religious family?” From behind them Sharky grunts in his sleep, muttering his dismay at the mention of the Seed family.

“He mentioned some religious folks, yeah, nothing to worry about he said,” Maggie replies, frowning in confusion. Sat in the passenger seat of the car she flips the visor down to look in the small mirror at her reflection. There’s a small sigh of relief when she finds no blue staining her teeth. 

Pratt snorts in mock amusement, shaking his head as they begin making their way towards Sharky’s trailer park. 

“Nothing to worry about?” He laughs dryly again, “that family is the second coming of Jim Jones I tell you now.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter notes : kidnapping, car crash, injuries, John's bunker.  
> There's a moment where John reacts angrily to something Maggie says about Joseph that could lead to some interpreting this as dubious consent, this scene starts with John calling Maggie by her given name and ends with Maggie reminiscing about their time at Orville Creek.  
> Set after the Arrest

“There’s nothing more you can do here, Deputy. I’ll come for you when you’re good and ready.” 

That’s what he had called to her over his tannoy system as Maggie ran for her life.

Had things really come to this? 

\- - - 

_Maggie couldn’t put her finger on it but something about the day just hadn’t felt right. From the moment she had woken up everything seemed off. Her coffee granules were burnt at the bottom of her flask, she had forgotten her grandfather’s silver and ivory magnum in the safe at home forcing her to use the department’s standard issue Colt 1911._

_S_ _he hasn’t long begun her patrol of the Valley when she notices an unfamiliar SUV trailing her. She keeps her eye on it, taking some of the more unusual routes around Falls End towards Rye & Son’s Aviation to see if it follows. When she makes the tricky turn around the bend and sees the car trail behind her she decides to call it in. Pulling at the radio on her shoulder she pushes her finger to call dispatch, _

_"This is Sloane, I have got an unidentified vehicle tailing me. Can I get some support in case this turns out to be our friends from Eden’s Gate? I’m just out past Nick’s place.”_

_It’s not unusual for Maggie to have to wait for an immediate response from her colleagues but when minutes pass and she doesn’t hear from anyone she bites the inside of her cheek nervously. She presses the call button again but before she can speak a message is transmitted through, and it’s a voice Maggie knows all too well._

_“Deputy, you’ve had your fun but all sinners must confess. This is the will of the Father. My men are coming for you…I’ll see you soon.”_

_Maggie’s eyes flicker to the SUV behind her and in that moment's hesitation she misses the second car hurtling towards her._

_Everything goes black._

\- - -

“Holy shit kid, I’ve been trying to reach you! Heard John nabbed you and I feared the worst-“

She’s on a quad, she doesn’t know how but she is and she’s speeding down the dirt track that leads from John’s bunker to the main road in the Valley. She can hear them behind her still, the unidentifiable screams of the angels while John’s words still echo in her ears. Dirt and grit flies past her, cutting into the pale skin of her face while her head continues to spin from the bliss that makes its way out of her system. 

Everything feels surreal, like a dream. Her head is a jumble of thoughts and images, a confused state of mind that has her nearly verging off the road as she tries to put together what has just happened to her. It’s Dutch’s continuing voice crackling from the radio on her shoulder that knocks sense into Maggie, forcing her to tighten her hands on the quad’s handles. 

She can hear Dutch still talking in her ear, he’s apologising about Hudson and fixating on John’s key. The key that dangled before her eyes in his god forsaken bunker. 

Jesus Christ.

_Hudson._

It was her chance to take her back, take her away from John but Hudson is still there, under lock and key and going through God only knows. 

From the corner of her eye she can see the silhouette of Fall’s End, the Valley’s twilight shine lighting the small town up like a painting. It’s home but it’s not where Maggie wants to go. She looks over her shoulder, scared to find a herd of angels and peggies speeding behind her. A somewhat relieved sigh catches in her throat when she sees nothing but empty roads. It’s a small reprieve and one that she isn’t going to exploit so instead of taking the familiar turn off into Fall’s End, Maggie verges off the road into the dense forest. She can’t risk them finding her in the apartment above the Spread Eagle, can’t risk the safety of those around her. 

Dutch’s sympathy has already come to an end, he’s telling her to get to work but before she can spit a fuck you back to him the radio fades to nothing. 

The stolen quad struggles on the forest ground, the soft terrain and the quad’s weight a problematic combination. Maggie thinks she hears a sob, she looks around as if someone is nearby but with the bliss very slowly trickling out of her system a voice tells her the sob is her own. Determined, Maggie moves through the growth. All around her she can see fleeing elk, spooked by the sound of the quad. 

When her destination appears in front of her Maggie quickly pulls the key from the engine, letting it die while the quad settles into the mud below her. The cabin once owned by her grandfather was all she could think of. Maggie didn’t want to risk the peggies running through Fall’s End, not when they just got it back. She can’t go to Dutch (not that she would really want to) and she certainly can’t hide out at a resistance member’s place, the risk to them is just as great to them as it is to her. 

Her eyes welling up with tears has Maggie hissing, annoyed by the slip up of her emotions. The back of her hand is filthy as she wipes away the tears, clattered with dirt and what she can only presume is blood. It’s with this movement across her face she notices her wrists burn, the ropes that held her in John’s bunker having cut into her skin. 

When Maggie thinks of it, of being held against her will like that by the man...by someone who has dominated her every thought and dream, she lets her eyes blink with fresh tears.

\- - -

_Whistling._

_It’s the first thing Maggie recognises when she comes to. Her head feels heavy, when she tries to lift it to look around her it sags back down to her chest and she groans. There’s movement around her, someone walking while continuing to whistle. She just needs to get up and she can evaluate what’s happening._

_But she can’t._

_It’s panic that assaults her senses next, has she broken her bones so badly she can’t move them? Her mind pleads with her body to move, to wake up and when her eyes eventually blink open it’s a small relief to find her fingers are moving but that relief is wiped from her head when she sees the rings of rope wrapped around her wrists._

_It feels like a punch to the chest when she sees Deputy Hudson tied up in front of her. She’s fighting in her chair, screaming against the tape that has been pushed against her lips. Still blinking, Maggie looks around her to find John Seed standing by her side, still whistling._

_He’s really done it, she thinks. Maggie looks down at herself, at the rope around her wrists and legs. Their relationship, if you could call it that, had nose dived so much since the attempted arrest of Joseph Seed that Maggie barely recognises the man in front of her. She winces when he staples something to the desk in front of him, something Maggie can guess but decides to ignore for her own well-being._

_Like always, when John turns his attention to Maggie she feels all air leave her lungs. There’s a moment where he just looks at her, in any other situation it could be a look of pure adoration but the reality of her being tied up like this dismisses the notion that John ever thought of Maggie in the way she thought of him. Before she can conjure anymore thoughts John looks down at his feet and begins to speak._

_She should be screaming, she should be the mirror image of Hudson right now but all she can do is watch as John speaks. She finds the bliss in her system is still too heavy behind her eyelids, John’s words not quite holding. He slams his hands and the staple gun onto the desk in front of him and from her peripheral vision Maggie sees Hudson flinch, another sob aching against her taped mouth._

_When he moves towards her Maggie can’t help it, she looks at the column of his throat; the line of muscles in his forearms. When he’s in front of her, speaking about the mantra of YES she holds her head high and stares John in the eye. Maggie only flinches when his hands grip the green of her shirt, tearing it open. She doesn’t miss his gaze though, how his eyes darken and rake across the damp sheen of her chest. She knows what’s going to happen, he’s going to mark her. Something uncomfortable clenches in the pit of her stomach._

_It’s when John begins to yell, staring at her with a chisel pointed in her direction that Maggie’s resolve cracks. She feels the wetness roll across her cheeks and down her jaw. She doesn’t know if he notices, or if he cares._

_This is not the man who helped her avoid hypothermia at Orville Creek. This is not the man who found Maggie at the side of the road with a flat tire just a few weeks ago, who kept her company and kissed her softly goodbye._

_He’s shouting at them both and in an instance the desk before them has been launched to the floor and he’s approaching Maggie. He’s hunched over her now, blocking her from Hudson’s view. His hand rising to her face is met with the instinct to flee. Maggie turns her head away from him but he catches her chin with his fingers, stroking the skin there almost soothingly. With a voice so kind Maggie hears him properly since she woke up and with a voice so comforting John whispers,_

_“You won’t regret this. I promise.”_

\- - - 

“Dep, you there?” Her radio signal this deep into the forest isn’t great, however through the crackles and pauses Maggie can make out the voice of Grace Armstrong. “C’mon Dep, please don’t let that son of a bitch have you…”

“I’m here Grace,” Maggie radios back while moving through the home of her grandfather. She whips a dust sheet off the sofa in the lounge. A smile tugs at her lips when she sees the familiar piece of furniture. 

“Well thank God for that,” Grace crackles back to her. “Where are you Dep? You’ll need to be seen to-“

“I’m fine. I just need to lay low for a couple hours-“

“I can send someone to get you Maggie, take you to the church-“

“I said I’m fine, Grace,” she snaps at her friend. It’s a moment she regrets and before Grace can respond Maggie carries on, “I just-“ she tries, “I don’t want anyone risking themselves for me. Just keep up with patrols and give me a couple hours, okay?” 

Maggie hears a sigh across the radio, “alright Dep.” 

\- - -

The facilities in the cabin are not the best. The shower has seen better days, a mix of hot and cold water sputtering from the head as it beats on to Maggie’s body. When she sees the extent of her injuries the adrenaline in her body finally begins to drain. Her chest tightens as her brain processes that she had been kidnapped. She had been kidnapped and she _survived._ It comes back to her in small bursts, like a flip book of pictures: the crash and the bliss bullet, how the peggies teased and berated her. 

Something chokes her, she coughs through the humid air and the flipbook of images starts all over again. The peggies she had maimed and even killed. How she had to sneak around the bunker as her life depended on it. She can still see the look of shock in one of them, a young man who looked no older than twenty and how he crumpled to the floor as the bullet tore through muscle and bone. Something catches again in the back of her throat, taking the strength from her legs as she collapses to the floor of the bath and throws up. It swirls to the drain, a putrid combination of dirt and blood following. Still on her knees and panting Maggie sees the last images of the flipbook flutter behind her eyes. 

\- - - 

_John points at Maggie when she approaches the cell where Hudson is being kept. There’s a fleeting glance of shock in the blues of his eyes that make Maggie feel triumphant. Behind him Hudson still struggles, weeping and pulling at her restraints to no avail. A door separates Maggie from John. It’s just as well. She doesn’t know what she would do to him now, given the chance. Something clicks around them and John grins._

_“I know your sin.”_

_He smiles, leaning closer to the glass of the door to watch her._

_“It drives you. Every thought, every action. Your sin is Wrath.”_

_John chuckles, pleased that he thinks he has deciphered her. With his dark gaze still looming over her exhausted body the smile vanishes and he stands straight._

_“So, I’ll indulge you: Become Wrath. Let it fill your body and consume your soul...because in the end, you’ll still be empty.”_

_Something inside Maggie flinches. His words resonating in her head as he stares through the glass partition._

_“And I’ll be waiting right here…” John nods back to Hudson, the smirk creeping back onto his lips. “We both will.”_

\- - - 

The rest is still blurry. She remembers the bliss being fed through the ventilation system and she remembers John yelling through his tannoy to goad his people and scare her. Call her stupid but it wasn’t John that Maggie was running from, more the herd of angels and peggies crying out for her crucifixion. 

With the dried blood and dirt washed from her skin Maggie evaluates the extent of her injuries. Considering she was rammed off the road by a SUV it isn’t as bad as it could be. Her neck aches with every turn and her legs are a map of bruises, deep red and littered from shin to thigh. Some mingle with the already healing splotches of brown and purple from days before. 

She has a collection of grazes across her milky skin. Her knees are raw and red from the fall down the stairs in John’s bunker from when she escaped his restraints. Her jeans are ruined, ripped and with her blood soaked into the fabric around her knees. The grazes continue up the length of her aching body and a cut on her collarbone where the line of her seat belt has dug into her skin from when the truck rammed her off the road. Unfortunately for Maggie there isn’t much she can do with her injuries and pain. The cabinet in the bathroom offers little in the form of pain relief, an out of date packet of aspirin that she necks back with a drink from the tap and a few mismatched bandaids. 

When she has chosen to cover the wound on her collarbone along with the particularly nasty graze on her knee Maggie wraps herself up in a towel while running a hand through her hair, it had been caked in mud and grit from the crash. It’s tangled but the natural red beams in the beige of her grandfather’s bathroom. 

Still running a hand through the ends of her hair Maggie shuffles out of the bathroom and into the lounge. 

She thinks she’s already suffering from post traumatic stress, why else would John Seed be standing in the lounge of the cabin? She tries blinking him away, but the Baptist stays. 

“I told you I’d come for you, Deputy.” 

Her first reaction should be to run, practically naked or not she should not be in the same room as the person who instructed her kidnapping. He moves his weight from foot to foot, looking around the room while his hands stay behind his back. 

“You said when I was good and ready,” is all she can reply with, her hands tighten around the material that covers her body. John barks a laugh at this, rolling on his heels to look at the ceiling. Slowly Maggie moves around the room, ensuring the sofa stays between them. 

“Oh Deputy, you do know how to surprise me. Hours out of my bunker and you already have your sense of humour back, I like that.”

“Fuck off,” Maggie hisses in response. She can practically feel the venom dripping from her lips. She doesn’t like his lack of reply, that he only frowns and stands straighter. They can only stand off like this, Maggie without a weapon- without _clothes_ , doesn’t have a leg to stand on. She can only pray he leaves, stops whatever this is. She can see him looking at her body, weeks ago she would have welcomed the warm gaze of John Seed but now- now, he has no right to look at her in any way. 

“I didn’t want them to ram you off the road.”

Her lip twitches angrily. 

“Now you care?” Maggie spits. She hates that there is a wobble to her voice, so evident she sees John try to take a step forward. He doesn’t reply, just watches the way she moves back and raises a hand, “you have no idea John, no idea how much I wish I had my gun right now.” 

“You’d kill me?” He asks. She can’t place the tone of his voice and she hates that she can’t read the expression on his face. He walks past the sofa moving towards her, the tails of his coat fluttering behind him. “I don’t believe you would do that, Deputy-”

“Don’t! You have _no_ idea what I am capable of John!” She can see him looking at the bruises and cuts that cover her body, accompanying the look with a clench of his fists. “You need to get out, give me some fucking dignity and go.” 

“You should have stayed at the bunker with me, Maggie.” 

The use of her given name shocks her. Makes her head turn round to look at him and wonder why he feels he can no longer call her Deputy or Sloane. Something inside of Maggie aches at the use of him calling her that. He moves again, distracting Maggie from his words to find he has somehow ended up in front of her. Backing away from him Maggie shakes her head, 

“And have you and your crackpot brother brainwash me? No-”

John reacts quicker than she thinks he could, his hand whipping from behind him to grab her wrist. He snarls in her ear before pushing her to the cabin wall.

“Do not insult the Father,” he whispers, breathing hard. 

Maggie feels like she’s thrown back to the memory of Orville Creek, of him being so close to her body. One of the few fond memories she has of John: when he wrapped the thick material of his coat around her shoulders to keep her from freezing. She remembers how lighthearted he had been, how softly he had looked at her and more than anything, how he had just wanted to look after her in that moment. 

Maggie’s chest is heaving, her lip trembling as she recounts the memory of when she felt nothing but warm thoughts for John Seed. It’s a moment of weakness, one she is quick to shake off in the form of raising her free hand to strike him but her body is spent from the day and John easily catches her wrist pinning them both to the wall above her head. 

She thought that John coming into her home was as low as things could get for her day, he could end it with a knife in her side and be done with her but as it is, the fates have something else in store for Maggie and John. Her body goes stock still as she feels the material of her towel flutter away from her body, landing in a heap between her and John.

There’s a small part of Maggie who delights at this, at how John nervously blinks his eyes shut and swallows thickly. She should try twisting her body away from him, to take back the shred of dignity she has left but instead that carnal part of her brain enjoys the shiver of goosebumps that ripple across her body as John continues to hold her wrists. 

It’s a moment of strong resolve before John breaks, his eyes fluttering to look at the length of her naked body. It’s a luxury he didn’t allow himself at Orville Creek and one he now indulges in; breathing heavily with the pupils of his eyes blown wide. 

“John-“ 

Maggie doesn’t know what the call of his name is for, a plea for more, a plea for mercy but his name rolling from her tongue changes everything. His body pushes against her, the warm press of his coat against her bare chest is a comfort Maggie never thought she needed. His hands keep their tight grip around her wrists and his mouth is on hers.

It’s unfair how quickly her body melts into his, how her stomach ruptures into a storm of butterflies when he runs his tongue along the edge of her bottom lip. He drops her wrists from above them, hands automatically carding into her red hair deepening their kiss. 

The scrape of his fingers on her scalp combined with his searing kiss has Maggie sighing into his mouth. The press of his jeans pushing her legs apart results in another sigh, one that merges into a groan and has Maggie grinding onto the top of his thick thigh. Their gasps for air fill the small space of the lounge, it’s a only momentary break and John is latching onto the soft skin of her neck, sucking it into his mouth and moaning.

John Seed _moaning._

Everything is happening so fast, his mouth at her neck and Maggie’s arm wrapping around his neck as John hoists her off the ground as if she weighs nothing at all. She wants to wince when her back meets the wall of the cabin but his searing kiss on her lips stops all ideas of complaining. Instinctively Maggie is wrapping her legs around his waist, thriving in the feeling of his teeth nipping at her already swollen lips. 

Maggie never knew the feeling of his coat under her fingers could feel so good. The weight of his hips pinned against hers lighting something inside her so carnal the extent of her injuries are out the window and she’s silently pleading for more; grinding herself onto him while running her fingers through his hair. His hand drops from the damp locks of her hair, now pushing between their bodies to run a line from the small bud of her clit to her soaked slit. She hears John curse, a low sigh in the hollow of her neck as he continues to rub circles around her. 

She curses with him, her head dropping back to thud against the wall while her legs tighten around his waist in another silent plea. His hand leaves her, dropping to his jeans and as quickly as he can, John undoes his belt and pulls his zipper down.

Maggie has wanted someone to touch her like this for so long. She’s wanted John to show her the extent of his passion since the moment she laid her eyes on him and he’s doing it all, he’s touching her just how she wants as if he already knows her body. She practically sings when she feels the hot press of him against her thigh. 

It’s only one fleeting glance in his blue eyes, a silent look of her consent before John is pushing himself to her and everything melts away. She forgets about the cuts and grazes, the bruises that litter her skin. The ache of strained muscles around her back and neck seem to fade. It’s a few seconds before John readjusts them against the wall, and Maggie feels him fill her to the hilt. 

She shouldn’t be letting John Seed fuck her and she shouldn’t be enjoying the way he draws back and slams back into her body. But- she is, her hands gripping onto him, fingers feeling right at home on the bottom of his neck. It feels like everything it should be, how he _just_ fits inside her, how warm his pelvis feels against her skin. And yet...she still feels a prickle of tears in her eyes.

John’s breath hot against her neck is one of things she has imagined on lonely nights in her bed. When he grinds his hips into hers Maggie can’t help the moan slip past her lips. It’s echoed by John’s own pant of exertion and another hard thrust.

It may feel like he was made for her body, that he hits places inside of her that she didn’t know existed but this is not what Maggie ever imagined for her and John. She berates that naive girl in her head who still believes in happily ever after, the same one who pictured herself with John in a bed with candles and roses. 

Another tear slips down the apple of her cheek as she breathes his name. The sound of his name on her lips gains his attention, the hard look on his face disappearing when he sees the tears. Maggie can feel him slow, the slap of their skin halting. She doesn’t want that, doesn’t want either of them to stop chasing that high. 

The cut of her fingernails on the back of his neck is enough encouragement for him to continue. John pushes her harder into the wall, pinning her there with rough thrusts that has them both quickly coming closer to the edge. He watches fascinated as his name tumbles from her lips over and over again. It’s another grind of his hips and she topples over the edge with a shout, her head tipping back into the wall as John drops his lips to the top of her chest, grunting into the skin there until his hips stutter against hers and he comes with a groan so delicious Maggie swears she could come again. 

It’s only a second of peace before he moves from her. Maggie doesn’t expect to be dropped to the floor with such grace, to look up and find him studying her face while still trying to catch his breath. He looks like everything she ever dreamed of and it makes everything all the more heartbreaking. 

Swiping the towel from the floor Maggie covers herself and sighs. John’s has made himself presentable, a hand slicking through his hair before looking down at her again. It’s twice he opens his mouth to speak but instead of speaking he lifts his hand to her jaw and wipes away the stray tear with his thumb. 

It stings more than she thought it would when John walks out of the cabin without another look. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> True love's first kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings : mentions of a found corpse, general Eden's Gate violence, kissing  
> Set before the Arrest

Things around the County have been...weird. In the space of a week, three families have gone missing. There seems to be more and more Eden’s Gate propaganda cropping up as well as more and more calls of disruption and violence. 

Earl had told her only two months previously when she first started the job, that some religious folks were preaching about the end of the world but it wasn’t anything to worry about. 

Eden’s Gate has proved since then that they  _ are _ something to worry about. It was only last week when a local farmer was found strung up on the Henbane River Bridge, his skin shredded by barbed wire with a bullet wound to the head. 

She’s on her way back to the station at Fall’s End when the patrol truck’s radio calls her name.

“Yeah it’s Maggie,” she calls back while driving through the Henbane. Her eyes automatically travel to the bridge, nervously looking for another body to have appeared. 

“Rook, I know you’re meant to finish your shift but we need you at the station,” Earl sighs across the radio. Maggie can almost see the frustration in his face. She sighs too, looking out at the county’s skyline. An early night had been on the cards for Maggie but looks like she can say goodbye to that notion.

“Alright,” she mutters, “I’m just at the Henbane now, won’t be long, boss.”

“Thanks, Rook, hopefully, it’s nothin’ too long. See you soon.” 

Maggie loves her job, she does but things around the County are not what she imagined they would be when she first moved back. Even now as her car crosses over into Holland Valley she sees the peggies, they too are moving between the county and the farms they now own. 

As Maggie rolls her eyes her car rumbles from beneath her and the steering wobbles.

“What the fuck…” 

The peggies eye her truck as she pulls over but thankfully continues into the Henbane without an issue. It isn’t until Maggie has rounded out of the truck that she sees her front passenger wheel is flat. 

“God damn it!” 

Petulantly, she kicks some dirt off the ground. It’s not what she needs, her night off taking a turn into overtime and now changing a flat tire. To add insult to injury when she pops the trunk she finds it empty, no spare tire to speak of.

Gravel and dust gather at her ankles as she storms to the driver's side to grab the radio.

“Sheriff,” Maggie barks, “I’ve got a flat tire and some fuckin’ idiot hasn’t restocked the truck with another!” 

“Alright Rook, calm your boots,” comes Earl’s reply. “I can’t get to you right now but will radio Pratt to help you out. He’s in the Whitetails headin’ back now.”

Maggie drops the receiver without another word, too irritated to call back her thanks to Earl. And now she has to wait for Pratt to haul himself down to the Valley to pick her up. 

Minutes pass and not long after she has drawn some knots and crosses into the dirt with the heel of her boot she sees a car moving from the Henbane. She considers moving to the other side of her truck, in no mood to converse with peggies or residents alike. If she pretends to talk on her radio maybe they’ll drive on by and-

Oh God, no. Not  _ now.  _

It’s not a resident and it’s not a peggie. 

Before Maggie can even consider running into her truck or hell, into the surrounding fields, a black SUV has stopped behind her and the driver is stepping out.

“Deputy Sloane!” 

Maggie feels the blood rush to her cheeks in embarrassment. 

It’s one thing to be fighting with a religious cult of all things but to have a crush on one of their leaders is another. 

John Seed is charming, elegant, and polite. He knows how to dress and how to look after himself. He has a way of looking at Maggie that makes her squirm as if her clothes are a size too small. She dare not think of the incident at Orville Creek some weeks ago, where he saw her practically naked and yet was nothing but a gentleman about it. 

He’s already approaching her by the time Maggie forces herself to look at him.

“I am not in the mood, Seed,” she replies before looking back down at her dusty boots. 

Yes, John Seed may have a face that Maggie would love to ride but she needs to remember the things he has been accused of doing across the Valley.

“That isn’t very nice, what’s the face for Sloane?” 

Maggie glances up from her boot with a scowl, noticing as he practically swaggers to her side of the truck. Her eyes roll of their own accord.

“Just having a bad day Mr. Seed, nothing to concern yourself with,” Maggie replies through gritted teeth trying to remind herself how arrogant this man is. He leans against the truck by her side and exhales.

“It’s such a nice night too,” John offers with a voice that she can only describe as wicked. She scoffs in response, avoiding the baby blue eyes that still make Maggie’s brain melt into the back of her skull. She knows that if she were to look up his smile would match. He would look devilishly good looking and Maggie  _ really  _ needs to remember that he has been accused of horrible, awful things. 

“You gonna tell me what’s wrong, Deputy?” 

She sighs, already throwing the towel into his charm.

“Gotta work overtime and got a flat tire, both things I could have done without.” 

She finally looks up from the dusty roadside beneath her, eyes immediately are drawn to the setting sun and the glow it brings across the whole Valley. 

“Got a spare tire?” John asks, he too is still gazing at the impending sunset. Maggie snorts,

“Oh yeah, I’m just standing here for the good of my health.”

She sees him move, turning to face her and she can’t help it, Maggie laughs. He looks as shocked as she imagined, downright offended by her sarcasm. His head slowly turns back to the wheat farms in front of them, so dazzlingly golden in this light. 

“Got a mouth on you, don’t you Deputy.”

Maggie grins wordlessly. Her body relaxes into the truck’s bodywork, content to watch the evening draw in and regrettably in the company of someone who makes her smile. 

She wonders if he feels the same or if it’s a power play, that he’s maybe been sent to get closer to her-

Maggie twirls around.

“Why are you here, John?” Her voice is quieter now, more serious. John is either a very good actor or he is genuinely taken aback by her question: his eyebrows rise, and his mouth drops that little bit. His answer is delayed too and she can’t for the life of her figure out if it’s because he needs to remember his own lie or if he really doesn’t know what to tell her. 

“I see the prettiest Deputy in the whole world stopped at the roadside, what kinda man would I be if I drove right past you?” 

He’s called her pretty before, it made her cheeks flush then and it does again now. 

She decides it’s best to ignore the compliment, no matter how nice it is to hear. “You know I could arrest you, take you to the station right now?” She asks.

He grins again, turning on his heel to face her. 

“With what evidence, Deputy?” 

It’s a challenge and one Maggie knows she can’t win because he’s right. There is no evidence that John Seed in particular has done  _ anything  _ wrong. The witnesses they have had have been mysteriously ‘leaving town’ and some even joining the project with all statements and complaints retracted. There is nothing, legally, she or any of the other deputies can do about him. 

Yet.

She huffs back, turning away from him. 

“C’mon now,” John grins, moving to turn in front of her. She tuts when his body blocks the view of the mountains and fields. “Don’t pout, Maggie.” 

She looks up at that, the sound of her name on his tongue. It’s nice to hear and she can feel her body agreeing, the little hairs on her arm standing on end. 

It feels dangerous being close to him like this again. The last time when she had stupidly skinny-dipped and he gave her his coat to keep warm and Maggie had wanted to kiss him then, too. 

She bows her head down to look at the ground, avoiding what is most definitely a very bad idea. Maggie knows that when she feels his fingers on her chin, tilting her to look up at him, she should shove him away. Maybe pull her gun and tell him to leave...but she doesn’t. 

Instead, her breath shakes as his fingers curl around her jaw, his other hand moves to her waist to pull her closer to him. Maggie takes one last fluttering look at his face and he’s smiling at her-

His lips are a kind of soft that shouldn’t be allowed. Her knees buckle when his hand tightens on her jaw, how he pulls her closer into his body. As her mouth parts to meet John she wonders if he’s affected as she is, if he feels like his heart is beating out of his chest like hers is.

She moans her approval when his tongue lines her lip, and how it burns the blood in her veins like wildfire. Maggie decides she could get used to his thumb caressing her skin, his tongue making her dizzy with need. Her hands find their way to his chest, leaning on him as she falls deeper and deeper under his spell. 

There’s a groan that rumbles from John’s chest when he grinds his hips into hers. She wants nothing more to keep this going, to feel every part of John Seed but her dreams are dashed when her radio rattles to life. 

“Rook.” 

Pulling away from John is a damn shame. She swings her head in the direction of the radio, her breath shaking.

“It’s Pratt. I’ll be with you in a few minutes, you okay? Wolverines haven’t gotten you, have they?” 

No, but a Seed brother certainly has, she thinks. 

Maggie stretches away from John, reaching for the radio through the open window.

“I’m...” her breath shakes as she makes eye contact with John again, “I’m fine Pratt, see you soon.”

The line fades and it’s back to the blissful silence between them both. His hands run up her waist, still fuelling the fire in the pits of her stomach. 

“You have to go,” Maggie whispers. His eyes search hers, “this is not the best way for my colleague to find me.” 

“I could put you in a better position,” John grins, leaning down to her lips again. “I could turn you right around-“

“John.”

As subtle as she can, Maggie pushes John away to which he sighs. His hands rise in surrender, stepping back and to his SUV. A breeze catches the air and Maggie already mourns the loss of his body crushed against hers. He flashes her a final grin,

“I’ll see you around, Deputy.”

\- - -

Pratt arrives only minutes later, Maggie is sure she can see John’s SUV still driving off into the distance. They decide to leave Maggie’s truck by the roadside and head to see the Sheriff in Pratt’s car. 

“Any idea what Earl wants us for?” Maggie asks as they cross the lot into the police station. 

Pratt shrugs,

“Not sure. Joey’s already there and she said she didn’t know either.” 

The front of the station is quiet, enough for Maggie to hear the scream of her thoughts about John Seed and his stupidly good kissing skills. She wonders if anyone will notice? Are her lips swollen? Is she still blushing? 

They walk past Nancy in dispatch, she waves from her computer desk with that forever welcoming smile as they continue through the station. In the small back office where the Hope County police department mostly gossip and drink coffee sits Earl and someone, Maggie has ever seen before. Earl looks... _ stressed.  _

“I’m tellin’ ya,” Earl starts. He looks up and nods as Maggie and Pratt enter the room. Next to the sheriff sits Joey who looks alarmed. “This is a  _ bad  _ idea.”

“What’s going on?” Maggie looks between Earl and what she can now see is a US Marshal. It feels like a rock sets in her stomach, weighing her to the seat when Earl hands her a piece of paper.

What she reads makes her blood turn cold and sweat break out on her forehead.

“You want to  _ arrest _ Joseph Seed?” Maggie exclaims in horror, looking to the Earl who shakes his head in disbelief. 

Pratt whistles high from beside her, collapsing into his seat with a snigger. The Marshal takes the document from Maggie. Earl waves his hands in agreement to Pratt, turning on his heel to look out the window and at the view of his County. 

“Cameron Burke,” the Marshal introduces confidently. “I know you folks are set in your ways but this is a  _ federal  _ warrant and not to be fucked with-“

Joey steps up this time, “you got this all wrong Burke, the Seeds are fuckin’  _ insane- _ “

Maggie flinches, the lips of the youngest Seed still warm against her own. 

“We execute this warrant,” Burke interrupts looking between them all, “tonight.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prompt from the wonderful xbaebsae on tumblr using the sentence -
> 
> “You don’t have to be gentle with me, I don’t break easily.”
> 
> Chapter warnings: nsfw, smut, fluff

She hears someone in her home, hears their footsteps on the wooden floors of the cabin. Almost lazily Maggie reaches for her magnum and points it to the door. She can hear the rain outside the window, it batters the glass planes with howling wind to accompany it. 

The moment she came home Maggie had stripped and drawn a bath. She’s been sitting in the water for at least an hour, soaking her aching muscles and thinking of the day she has endured. The room smells perfumed and the water is cloudy with bubbles long gone. Her knee knocks the edge of the tub, droplets of water trailing down her skin while she waits for the intruder to find her. 

When the door opens she finds John Seed gazing down at her. His eyes, so blue and so mesmerising, look over her and zone in on the gun pointed at him. 

“Hi John.”

Slowly she places the gun back down, it clatters on the counter and John takes a step forward. 

“What happened?” He asks, running a hand over his beard and up into his hair. Maggie shrugs non-committedly. 

“The usual, John,” she sighs, “They shot at me, I shot back.” 

Peggies tried to take Lamb of God church, Maggie thought she and Grace would be able to scare them off but they were insistent. Hordes upon hordes of them arriving one after another until they were climbing the roof of the church.

She watches as John steps into the bathroom, crouching down to put his hand in the water. Tutting he grabs a towel and stretches it out for her,

“C’mon, you’re gonna catch a cold sitting in that-“

“I’m fine-“

“Now, Maggie.”

The water ripples at her chin as she huffs, slowly moving herself until she’s standing. Her hands reach to his shoulder to balance herself as she steps out. A frown lines her head when she realises John doesn’t even react to her naked body, she could be wearing a trash bag for all it’s worth. 

“Let me look at you,” he speaks quietly and gently, moving past her to drain the bathtub. The water gurgles around them as John inspects the cuts and grazes to her body. When his fingers touch the graze on her forehead Maggie flinches and pulls away. “You fall?” He asks looking her in the eye before moving down to check other marks to her body. 

“Yeah,” she sniffs and looks over his shoulder, “someone actually climbed the roof and pulled me by the ankle. Landed right on my face.”

He’s shaking his head disapprovingly and she wants to yell at him because it’s his men that are doing this to her but she’s too exhausted to fight him. He silently leads her out of the bathroom and towards the bedroom, hands still rubbing her shoulders soothingly.

“You want something to eat?” 

Truth be told Maggie could probably destroy a steak or a greasy burger but the chances of that are so slim she doesn’t even want to face the disappointment if she asks. Instead, she shakes her head and sits at the edge of the bed. She watches as John moves around her room, he rummages in drawers for clean clothes and grabs her hairbrush. It’s a side of John that Maggie hasn’t seen before and one she lets herself enjoy for now however bizarre it may be.

Her eyes shut when she feels him actually brush her hair, he’s gentler than she is with her own curls. He battles tugs with more patience than she could ever muster. 

“Do you want me to…” John huffs, looking at her as if he’s lost, “what do you want me to do?”

Her cracked lip stings when she smiles up at him. When he smiles back at her he looks sad but he doesn’t give her the chance to speak, instead cups her face and gently presses his lips to hers. 

“Okay,” he eventually breathes, “let’s get you into bed.”

“John I’m not dying-“

“I know,” he bites back unhooking the damp towel from her body. Again he busies himself around the room, his coat flapping behind him as he moves. 

“John.”

He hums back to her, still moving around the room. 

“John, please just come...can you just kiss me again, please?” 

He drops the hairbrush still in his hand, swooping to Maggie to press his lips to hers. His hand on her cheek brings her a comfort that makes her smile again, so much so she runs her tongue along the bottom of his lip. 

“Maggie,” he pulls away, head pressed against hers with what she swears is a shy smile on his lips. He tries to reach for the fresh pyjamas but her hands grab for him again,

“Stop it,” she breathes, “stop.” 

“I’m sorry.”

She knows he isn’t apologising for babying her, she knows that he’s overcompensating and that guilt is eating him. 

“I thought,” he begins, “I thought you were in the Henbane and Joseph wanted the Mausoleums destroyed...I okayed it, I thought you wouldn’t be near-“ 

“Grace called me so I came back.”

He nods back silently and sits on the bed by her side. 

“I wouldn’t have agreed if I’d known Maggie, I wouldn’t-“

“I know but…” she runs a hand through her damp hair, “this isn’t a conversation for today...Just make me feel better, please?” 

She feels him nod, nuzzling into the side of her neck affectionately. Maggie lets herself relax, let’s herself feel John’s lips and beard against her skin. 

They move in tandem after this, Maggie sinking into the mattress while John straddles her. He undresses between kisses to her collarbone while his mouth traces the scar on her chest. She used to tell him off for that, for the dedication he would spend around the WRATH scar with his lips and tongue. Yet another silent apology for all that he has done wrong to her. 

When his tongue dips past the words and to her breasts she lifts her hips from the bed, urging him for more. It’s about now when John would normally lose himself, he would flip her body and eat her out from behind or ease his fingers into her but tonight… 

She squirms as he kisses her down her navel and to her bruised hips and thighs. Between these kisses, he mutters words of affections and compliments, all landing on deaf ears as Maggie tries to get more from him. 

“John,” she pines, still bumping her hips into him. Maggie knows he isn’t torturing her on purpose. She knows he’s admiring and loving her body but Maggie needs to feel more than just admired, she needs to feel alive. Her legs fall open compliantly for him with John immediately tracing a line from her slit to her clit. When her back arches John’s hands reach to her chest, thumbs rubbing the hardened peaks of her nipples. 

Tears sparkle in her eyes as John rolls her clit against his tongue. Her gasp is sharp as he sucks the bud between his lips. 

“John, please-“ she cuts herself off, moaning to the ceiling when she feels the press of his fingers inside of her. In a few breathless pants, she takes him, embracing the sensation of his digits stretching her. She pleads again and expects to find some resistance from John but he listens, he knows what she wants. 

With gentle hands John pulls her leg over his hip, he ducks down to kiss the corner of her mouth before sliding into her with one long stroke. John usually likes to make her come a few times before they have sex, he hasn’t had that luxury tonight so the tightness he feels steals the breath from his lungs. It’s only a few seconds of embracing the feel of one another before John begins to roll his hips. 

His breath shudders with every thrust as Maggie writhes beneath him. Her back arches when his hips hit hers and with a huff, she groans, “John, you don’t have to be gentle with me, I don’t break easily.” 

He pauses at this, looking down and assessing her emotions. She knows he doesn’t want to hurt her and, God, she appreciates that but right now Maggie doesn’t want to be treated like a porcelain doll. 

“Please?” 

John pauses for a moment, taking in the woman beneath him before leaning to her lips again. 

“Wrap your legs around me, darling.” 

Maggie smiles against him, gently kissing him just as he had done to her. She does as she’s told and when she finds that position John begins to move. Their eyes meet again and not even John can hide the pleasure he feels, his mouth drops open and his eyes squeeze shut. 

Maggie has been attracted to John from the moment she met him, he looks good all the time but right now when he’s stripped bare and consumed with pleasure Maggie is entranced by him. She barely recognises her own pleasure until she hears her own moan pierce the air. Her hands card at the bottom of his hair, pulling him closer to her mouth to drink in the moans that fall from his lips. 

He rocks harder and harder into her until Maggie feels the familiar blossoming heat in her stomach. Her nails scrape down John’s back, fingers tracing the lines of tattoos and scars. John’s breath stutters from above her, soon moving to press his mouth to the flushed skin of her neck. 

The slapping of their skin and moans fill the small space of her bedroom. In the back of Maggie’s mind, she thinks she’ll drag John to the shower after this, to clean off the sweat they’ve worked up. 

Overwhelmed by everything she’s feeling, Maggie’s legs drop from John’s waist. He only fucks her harder, moving to rest on his knees. She finds her own clit with shaking hands, desperate to achieve her climax. 

“That’s it darling, good- so good-“

It’s only a few strokes of her fingers and the heat in her stomach blooms throughout her limbs. John holds Maggie down by her waist, watching fascinated as she comes and comes. He snaps his hips a few more times before he stills above her and shudders with her name on the tip of his tongue. 

John groans when he moves to the side of her, too wary to lie on top of Maggie like he normally would. She opens her mouth to complain only for John to grab the blanket from the foot of the bed dragging it to cover their still shaking bodies. He snakes his arms around her waist to pull into his body before planting a kiss to her temple. 

It’s an unusual way for them to end their evening, usually one of them is leaving to return to their home or post. On the rare occasions they both sleep through to morning their goodbyes are strained but it feels different today. She lies awake looking at the ceiling, pondering their relationship when John leans up on his elbow. It comes as no surprise that he wants to leave so when he leans down to move the stray curls out of her face she smiles.

She wants to reach up and push back his hair, still ruffled and messy, but when he drops his head and laughs her hands drawback.

“What?” Maggie asks. He huffs another laugh before looking back up, dazzling her with the same grin that knocked the air from her lungs some months ago. “C’mon, what’s so funny?” She tries again.

“You know I love you, don’t you?” John smiles as he says it. There’s no hesitation, no fear. His hand moves to cup her cheek, “head over fucking heels in love.”

John arriving in the first place had been a surprise. John brushing her hair had been downright strange but for him to actually admit his feelings so confidently is almost unbelievable and yet…

Maggie leans up on her elbows, “well now I do,” she replies. She kisses him briefly and without further ado confirms back what she has known for quite some time. “It’s a good thing I love you too then, isn’t it?”

**Author's Note:**

> Please don't hesitate to leave comments and kudos! Your support means the world!


End file.
